AND NEW MEXICANS DEFINITELY DID THEIR PART. THE CRAFT IS SO POPULAR HERE... SOME OF THE BEST TATTOO ARTISTS IN THE WORLD ARE GATHERING IN NEW MEXICO THIS WEEKEND. OUR OWN ROYALE DA REPORTS ON THIS EVENT; AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, BEFORE GETTING TATTOOED. NEEDLE GUN NAT THIS A GLORIOUS SOUND FOR TRAVIS RUIZ. THIS IS TATTOO NUMBER 20! Travis Ruiz: "All my tattoos mean a lot to me." THE ALBUQUERQUE HUSBAND AND FATHER ... HAS BEEN GETTING INKED SINCE HE WAS 18. HIS "SLEEVE" SHOWING OFF HIS HOBBIES. Ruiz: "I'm a photographer for magazines so this is an old twin flex lens that's melting" TATTOOS ARE GROWING IN POPULARITY. A STUDY BY THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER... CAME UP WITH SOME IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS: 1.6 BILLION WAS SPENT ON TATTOOS LAST YEAR IN THIS COUNTRY 45 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE AT LEAST ONE TATTOO AND THAT EQUALS ABOUT 13% OF THE POPULATION. RUIZ SAYS THEY'RE COOL AND NOW... OKAY. Ruiz: "I think times are changing towards tattoos where they're more acceptable; they used to be looked down on like a biker thing or cholo thing, but now you get doctors and lawyers who are sleeved up." THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LICENSED TATTOO PARLORS IN NEW MEXICO. AT POR VIDA TATTOOS - THEY STRESS SANITARY WORK; SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DEMAND TOO. Sisneros: "Well, we'd set up in front of you. You'd see us set up all our needles and tubes, so you can see it's single use." once we put down our set-up or dental bib, when i have the gloves on, i only touch what's on that bib and that's it. LOOK FOR A STATE LICENSE AND CHECK WITH THE GUILD OF ETHICAL TATTOOERS OF NEW MEXICO TO LOOK INTO A PARLOR'S REPUTATION. AS FOR THE WORK... JOHN 'BALE' SISNEROS SAYS YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Sisneros: "It ranges from $100 - $200 an hour." HE CHARGES 120 - AND ENCOURAGES YOU TO GO TO AN ARTIST KNOWN FOR THE TYPE OF TATTOO YOU WANT. ASK TO SEE THEIR PORTFOLIO. Sisneros: "If you want a black and grey tattoo go to a black and grey tattooer. If you want a nice color tattoo, make sure you go to someone who has a lot of color in their portfolio." Ruiz: "If I'm getting a tattoo on my arm forever, i'm going to somebody who has some talent behind them." ACCORODING THESE GUYS, A LOT OF NEW MEXICANS LIKE TO TURN THEIR BODIES INTO CANVASSES... AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF TALENTED ARTISTS TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. THIS WEEKEND THAT NOTORITY IS DRAWING SOME SERIOUS TALENT TO THE DUKE CITY TATTOO FIESTA. Sisneros: "These are all the best artists you can find." ISLETA RESORT AND CASINO WILL HOST THE THREE DAY EVENT. IT STARTS ON FRIDAY. Royale Da/KOAT: "There will be over 200 artists at this event... Hand picked for their safety practices and picked for their talent." Sisneros: "The artists that are coming, it's very rare to get that many artists at one convention, at one time." RUIZ IS GOING. Ruiz: "These are the top notch people in the country." AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ANXIETY ABOUT THIS SOUND Needle Nat SISNEROS SAYS... THE EVENT IS A SAFE PLACE FOR A TATTOO BEGINER OR PRO... TO GET SOME INK. IN ALBUQUERQUE, ROYALE DA, KOAT, ACTION 7 NEWS. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DUKE CITY TATTOO FIESTA AT KOAT-DOT-COM. WE HAVE A LINK UNDER "AS SEEN ON 7." AND CHECK OUT SOME OF THE TOP TATTOOS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IN THE FEATURES SECTION.